Plastics fabricator vs sign maker

The differences between plastics fabricators and sign makers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a sign maker has an average salary of $36,308, which is higher than the $33,585 average annual salary of a plastics fabricator.

The top three skills for a plastics fabricator include extrusion, hand tools and fiberglass. The most important skills for a sign maker are graphic design, vinyl graphics, and aluminum.

Plastics fabricator vs sign maker overview

	Plastics Fabricator	Sign Maker
Yearly salary	$33,585	$36,308
Hourly rate	$16.15	$17.46
Growth rate	-11%	7%
Number of jobs	2,028	8,783
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 33%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	-	-

Plastics fabricator vs sign maker salary

Plastics fabricators and sign makers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Plastics Fabricator	Sign Maker
Average salary	$33,585	$36,308
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $43,000	Between $26,000 And $50,000
Highest paying City	Chaska, MN	-
Highest paying state	North Dakota	-
Best paying company	Graco	-
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	-

Differences between plastics fabricator and sign maker education

There are a few differences between a plastics fabricator and a sign maker in terms of educational background:

	Plastics Fabricator	Sign Maker
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 33%
Most common major	Business	Graphic Design
Most common college	-	-

Plastics fabricator vs sign maker demographics

Here are the differences between plastics fabricators' and sign makers' demographics:

	Plastics Fabricator	Sign Maker
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 84.1% Female, 15.9%	Male, 69.1% Female, 30.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 8.6% White, 60.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 12.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 8.8% White, 55.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between plastics fabricator and sign maker duties and responsibilities

Plastics fabricator example responsibilities.

Fabricate fiberglass piping, use tape measure, see, forklifts.
Assist with wet layup fiberglass repair as well as resin infusion projects to restore composite components on naval vessels.
Glass glazing/commercial aluminum window panel fabrication
Install thermal plastic parts into tools for bond in autoclaves.
Glass glazing/commercial aluminum window panel fabrication

Sign maker example responsibilities.

Demonstrate proper use and application of PPE.
Apply basic and finish coats to sign blanks.
Print graphics on corrugate plastic, PVC, foam board, etc.
Keep record of number of boxes and labels used for each product run.
Pick, pack, and receive materials for customer orders using RF scanner and operator headset
Apply primers and sealers to prepare new surfaces, such as bare aluminum and steel, for finish coats.

Plastics fabricator vs sign maker skills

Common plastics fabricator skills

Extrusion, 37%
Hand Tools, 20%
Fiberglass, 13%
Customer Service, 4%
PVC, 4%
Sketch, 3%

Common sign maker skills

Graphic Design, 16%
Vinyl Graphics, 14%
Aluminum, 13%
Vehicle Graphics, 5%
Custom Signage, 5%
Install Signage, 4%